My Rheumatoid Arthritis newsletter is out!

I always thought armadillos were cute. People from Texas would tell us stories about the silly animals. Isn’t it ridiculous how they curl up into a little ball when they are frightened?

That’s what I thought! Remember that story about the lawn and gardens that I planted after I got a front loader full of dirt? For months, I worked to improve that soil, making it earthworm worthy. At one point I tried to buy worms to improve the soil and I was told, “Work hard to make your soil excellent, and worms will materialize.” I did. And they did.

But someone else likes excellent soil – and the wonderful creatures that crawl through it. Armadillos actually stick their faces into the richest soil they can find. They uproot whatever is in the way: azaleas, lawns, or hedges – even swimming pools.

You might guess that I came to despise armadillos. By night, they’d come and dig up the work that I’d done that day. And by day, I’d buy more composted manure and azalea plants.

Eventually, I decided to protect my investment. We set out live traps. We began camping out on the back porch so we could chase the armadillos away with garden tools. There are some hilarious stories from that year. I have time to tell you this at least this: no matter what I did see, I never saw an armadillo curl up into a ball. They would rather charge at me and snort like pigs!

What can armadillos show us about a Rheumatoid Arthritis newsletter?

I’ve spent most of my time over the last several months working on a couple of projects like the Rheumatoid Arthritis newsletter. (The name is a secret until it’s published.) It’s been a lot like that armadillo year. Everything I do has to be redone. Everything that should take an hour takes 20 hours.

The RA is literally worse every day. “Press on” has been my motto for 27 years. It’s certainly being tested. But if a little pest like the armadillo can come back every night for a year and resist its urge to curl up in a ball and quit, so can I.

A new armadillo and finally – my first Rheumatoid Arthritis newsletter!

I live in a rurual area now. And I have RA. So there’s no manucured lawns or beds.

Yesterday, when I was out keeping some doctors in business, Roo looked out the window and yelled to Katie Beth, “Look Kitty, an animal!” As you can see from the pictures they got, the baby armadillo did dart around the yard avoiding them, but no curling up in fear. Me neither.